Passenger Information
Special Travel Needs
Astraeus Airlines are dedicated to ensuring a positive travel experience for our customers with disabilities. We encourage passengers with disabilities to notify Astraeus Airlines in advance to request special service assistance. That way, we can be better prepared to provide passengers with disabilities with the required services.
It's helpful to let us know:
- > If you have a power wheelchair, and if so, what type of battery it uses. The most common battery types are dry or wet cell. Wet cell are considered hazardous material and are less common, they will have to be fully removed for the flight.
- > What type of assistance you will need in boarding and deplaning the aircraft and if you will be travelling with a companion to assist you.
- > If you will be travelling with assistive devices or medical equipment.
- > If you will be travelling with a service animal.We accept service dogs only and you need to be sure that you have all the correct paper workfor the UK.
- > If you are travelling with or recently had medical condition or communicable disease that may pose a direct threat to the health and safety of other passengers.
It's necessary to call us 48 hours in advance if:
- > To arrange assistance for deaf & hearing impaired passenger.
- > To arrange assistance for blind & visually impaired passenger.
- > To arrange carriage of assistive devices and medical equipment,POC's or medical oxygen.
- > You wish to transport an emotional support or psychiatric service dog in the cabin.
Assistance In-flight
Individual Safety Briefings
Individual safety briefings are available to any passenger who requests them. Included in the briefing is an explanation of exit locations, as well as communication regarding the most efficient and appropriate way to provide assistance. Our crew will personally give safety demonstrations to passengers who are blind, visually impaired deaf or hearing impaired.
Onboard Wheelchair
Astraeus Boeing 757 have an onboard wheelchair specially designed to transfer passengers, unable to walk to their seats and fits the aircraft aisles.
Stowage of Carry-on items
Assistance with loading and retrieval of carry-on items and small assistive devices stowed onboard the aircraft is furnished upon request.
Moveable Aisle Armrests
We understand the particular importance for our customers with disabilities to have moveable aisle armrests rests and enhanced comfort during travel. For that reason, Astraeus Airlines offers all its 757 aircraft with these facilities. Armrests are fixed at the bulkhead and exit rows. Refer to our seat map section for futher information.
Emergency Exit Seats
In accordance with Civil Aviation Authority safety requirements, seats in the emergency exit rows cannot be pre-allocated and assigned to passengers:
- > Who are not reasonably fit and able bodied.
- > Whose mobility is reduced by reason of physical or intellectual disability, including passengers with hearing or sight is impaired.
- > Passengers that are unable to move quickly and may obstruct the exits.
Passengers that must travel with medical certificates
A medical certificate is a written statement from the passenger's physician that must be dated within 10 days of the scheduled date of the passenger's flight.
Astraeus Airlines requires that a passenger with certain disabilities or known medical conditions have a medical certificate as a condition for being provided transportation in some cases.
Communicable Diseases
If Astraeus Airlines deems a passenger with a communicable disease or infection poses a direct threat to the health and safety of other passengers, they may:
- > Refuse to provide carriage.
- > Require the passenger to provide a medical certificate stating that the disease at its current state is not transmittable during normal course of the flight, or if describing measures that would prevent transmission during flight.
- > Impose on that passenger a special condition or restriction (e.g. wearing a mask).
Medical certificate for communicable diseases should state:
- > The disease / infection under present conditions would not be communicable to other passengers during the normal course of flight.
- > Must state any conditions or precautions that would have to be observed to prevent transmission to other passengers.
- > Must be written within 10 days of flight date .
The following communicable diseases may pose a direct threat to the health and safety of other passengers. The following guidelines are recommended when deciding whether to travel:
- Chicken Pox - Can travel 5 days after the rash becomes evident.
- Cholera - As long as your symptoms have settled, you feel well enough to travel and the Public Health authorities in your destination country agree.
- Hepatitis A - As long as you feel well enough to travel.
- Measles - Can travel 5 days after the rash becomes evident.
- Mumps - Can travel 5 days from when swelling started.
- Rubella - Can travel 5 days after the rash becomes evident.
- Shingles - Can travel as long as rash is not weeping or is covered.
- Tuberculosis - Can travel if medical evidence states you are not infectious.
- Whooping Cough - Can travel 5 days after starting antibiotic treatment or 3 weeks after the onset of symptoms if not treated.
- Yellow Fever - Can travel once you are well enough and your treating doctor and the Public Health authorities in your destination country agree.
- Influenza/Flu - Can travel once symptoms have resolved.
If you have or recently had one of the listed illnesses we ask that you contact us prior to flying, this list is non exhaustive and if you are in any doubt the airline should always be informed.
Medical Certificates
Astraeus Airlines may require a medical certificate if a passenger with a disability is an individual who:
- » Needs therapeutic oxygen.
- » Has a medical condition that causes Astraeus to have reasonable doubt that a passenger can complete the flight safely.
Respiratory Assistive Devices and Medical Oxygen
Therapeutic Oxygen
Click to download Medic Information Form (PDF)
It is important that a passenger who has a medical condition that requires oxygen while flying, contact Astraeus Airlines prior to travel so that arrangements can be made. Please give a minimum of 7 days working notice. Charges for oxygen are £250 per bottle per flying sector.
Ventilators & Respiratory devices
Safety is our top priority it is important that ALL medical equipment is cleared for use onboard. Astraeus will permit the use of four types of electronic respiratory assistive devices:
- » Ventilators
- » Respirators
- » Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines.
- » Portable oxygen concentrators (POC’s).
FAA approved portable oxygen concentrators that Astraeus will accept for use onboard: AirSep Lifestyle, AirSep FreeSytle, Invacare XPO2, Delphi Central Air, Phillips Respironics EverGo, Inova Labs LifeChoice, Inogen One G2, Inogen One, SeQual Eclipse, Devilbiss iGo, Oxlife Independence.
If you need to use any medical equipment onboard, it is important that you contact us a minimum of 72 hours, in advance of your travel. You will be required to fully advise us of the following requirements. We may also require further information about your medical condition or the device.
- » Any POC device must be labelled by the manufacturer confirming that it has been tested to meet requirements for medical portable devices set by the UK government or the US Federal Aviation Authority.
- » The device must have weight and dimensions (length, width, height) to enable it to be used in the cabin consistent with UK safety regulations.
- » You must carry sufficient fully charged batteries to power the device for 150% of the expected maximum flight duration, (taking into account any delays).
- » Extra batteries must be packaged in accordance with applicable UK safety regulations.
- » Any requirement for a medical certificate.
You should be aware that there is no electricity supply available on any of our aircraft for the purposes of powering medical equipment. This means all equipment must be battery operated. You must ensure that you carry sufficient batteries for the duration of your flights.
Batteries must be fitted to the device if being checked-in for carriage in the aircraft hold. Spare batteries must be individually wrapped and carried in hand luggage only.
For safety reasons ALL personal electronic devices need be switched off and stowed for taxi, take off, approach and landing, and during abnormal or emergency conditions.
Service Animals
Service dogs are accepted in the cabin for qualified individuals with a disability. A service dog should sit in the floor space in front of the customer's assigned seat but cannot protrude into the aisles.
Exit row seating is prohibited. Documentation may be required for an animal travelling to international destinations.
Psychiatric assist dogs and emotional support dogs are also accepted in the cabin for qualified individuals with a disability if certain documentation requirements are met.
Please request assistance to a relief area if needed for your dog.
Preparing your Guide Dog / Assistance Dog for Travel
- » On long flights, we suggest you bring a fleece/vet bed for your dog.
- » You need to contact DEFRA if travelling to or through London, who require a faxed copy of all relevant documentation prior to travel.
- » Refer to the government website of the country to which you’re travelling for any additional entry requirements or documentation that may need completing.
- » Contact us at least seven days prior to travel to notify us that you wish to travel with a Guide Dog/Assistance Dog.
- » Check in for your flight at an airport check-in desk in order to complete travel documentation and formalities prior to going through airport security.
For further advise visit, www.guidedogs.org.uk
Contact & More Information
Astraeus Airlines in conjunction with Iceland Express has a dedicated team just a phone call away and has a designated complaint resolution officer (CRO) here to help. Supplied courtesy of Open Doors Organisation: http://www.opendoorsnfp.org.
From the UK please call 0800 0148405, from Iceland please call 800 9704, from the US please call (number). Alternatively, fax +1 413 460 5995, email icelandexpress@opendoorsnfp.org or write to Open Doors Organisation, Suite 2551 N Clark Street, Suite 301, Chicago, IL 60614.
We aim to respond to all feedback within 7 days.
The United States Congress enacted the Air Carrier Access Act in 1986. The legislation prohibits discrimination in airline service on the basis of disability. "Part 382 - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel: Final Rule" came into full force on 13th May 2009. The rule applies to flights that begin or end at a US airport. "Flight" means a continuous journey in the same aircraft or with one flight number that begins or ends at a US airport.
A copy of Part 382 in an accessible format is available from the United States Department of Transportation. Passengers may contact the Department of Transportation by either:
- 1. For calls made from within the United States, by telephone via the Toll Free Hotline for Air Travellers with disabilities at 1-800-455-9880 (TTY)
- 2. By telephone to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division at 001 202-366-2220 (voice) or 202-366-0511 (TTY)
- 3. By mail to the Air Consumer Protection Division, C-75, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue., S.E., West Building, Room W96-432, Washington DC 20590
- 4. On the Aviation Consumer Protection Division's website: http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov
- Astraeus Airlines,
- Astraeus House,
- Faraday Court,
- Faraday Road,
- Manor Royal,
- Crawley RH10 9PU
- Tel: 00 44 1293 819 800
- Fax: 00 44 1293 819 832